What drives brand decisions in Québec

July 15, 2008

Francophones and Anglophones in Quebec

The study authors also say
there are three distinct personality/culture areas in North America: Quebec;
the U.S. South; the rest of Canada and the U.S. combined.

When I present our firm’s
analysis of the differences between consumers in Quebec and in the rest of
Canada I’m often asked “what about the differences between English and French
consumers in Quebec?"

My answer has always been
that there are actually more similarities between the two groups in terms of
consumption patterns than differences. In other words, the spending patterns
and product/service preferences of English-speaking Quebeckers are often closer
to those of French-speaking Quebeckers than to those of Anglophones living in the
rest of Canada.

Now a new study published in
the U.S. Journal of Social Psychology offers further evidence or, at least, an
explanation.

The study report’s
conclusions:

Our primary finding was that
Francophones and Anglophones did not differ on most of the personality traits
on which they were compared. This is consistent with the geographical or
proximity model that states that people who live close together will have
similar personality profiles, perhaps as a consequence of living in the same
physical environment or of being exposed to common features of their cultures.
However, Francophones scored higher than did Anglophones on psychoticism, which
accords with previous research showing that people from France generally score
higher on psychoticism than do people from English-speaking countries. Although
this implies support for the biologically based trait model that relates
personality to culture, we contend that the reason for the difference between
Francophones and Anglophones on psychoticism was not clear and may also have a
cultural basis. In addition, Francophones scored higher than did Anglophones on
one measure of extraversion, but this result was not replicated on the second
measure or in the multiple regression analysis. Future researchers should
reexamine this comparison. Finally, Anglophones scored higher than did
Francophones on conservatism, which is consistent with previous research and is
most likely a cultural product.

Predictably, the media in
Quebec picked up on these findings. Here’s an excerpt from an
article published in Montreal’s The Gazette on July 12:

So it was a remarkable
pleasure to learn, this week, that the linguistic, cultural and social
divergences that seem to flare up so often are, according to academic
researchers, basically insignificant. A new study has found that there are very
few important differences in attitudes between francophones and anglophones in
Quebec. Anglos here are far more like francophones than we are like anglophones
in the rest of Canada or in the United States.

Writing in the U.S. Journal
of Social Psychology, researchers from Bishop's University conclude that
Quebecers, no matter what their mother tongue, show comparable open mindedness
and emotional stability and are equally productive on the job, careful,
attentive and agreeable.

A couple of stereotypes do
remain true to some degree, the psychologists said of their sample of 50
francophones and 50 anglophones: anglophones are slightly more conservative.

But centuries of living together
have not only made us similar, but have also given us something of a distinct
personality. That's a real "us," all of us, francophone and
anglophone alike.

While this was not the focus
of their investigation, the study authors say there are three distinct
personality/culture areas in North America: Quebec; the U.S. South; the rest of
Canada and the U.S. combined.